Overnight parking: City admits signage on meters is confusing, doesn't budge on tickets

Vindication! Sweet, sweet vindication. As this CBS4 report shows, the city is sort-of, kind-of admitting that the "overnight parking" stickers on its downtown meters are confusing -- and it's pledged to plaster them with (hopefully) less confusing stickers by the fall. Does that mean that everyone (including me!) who got a ticket for parking overnight without paying will be cleared?

"My inclination is to say no," says Emily Williams, communications coordinator for Denver Public Works. "We're in a phase where we're collecting feedback on the overnight parking program. People have been asking for overnight parking for a long time. But we understand this program is new, and we're still working with the public to figure out how to implement it best."

That apparently doesn't mean giving breaks to scofflaws -- even well-intentioned ones who read the sticker as an invitation to park overnight for free. "It's still a viable citation," she says. "But, as with any of our citations, if you feel like you've been given a ticket in error, you can come see the magistrate."

That's exactly what I did, in fact. Although I knew that overnight parking cost money, when I tried to feed my meter at 8:30 p.m., it refused to accept any money past 10 p.m. Is that a viable excuse? I should know by next week, when the thirty-day window in which the magistrate has to weigh my sad story comes to a close. Since I know you're all hanging on the edge of your seats, dear readers, I'll be sure to update you when I hear.

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